The remains of Alexander the Great’s father have been identified in a Greek tomb using X-ray analysis, according to a new study.
According to Live Science, this new international, but controversial study shows that archaeologists previously discovered that an erroneous tomb in Vergina, Greece, was believed to have housed Alexander the Great’s father, Philip II of Macedon. He stated that he recognized that there were.
The site contains three tombs dating from the 4th century BC.
The study was first published in the December issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
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Alexander instructing his soldiers, from the deed of Alexander the Great, 1608. Artist Antonio Tempesta. (Heritage Art/Heritage Images (via Getty Images))
Researchers believe that the three tombs include Alexander’s father, King Philip II of Macedon, as well as Alexander’s half-brother King Philip III Arrhidaeus and his teenage son Alexander IV. said.
In ancient times, Vergina was the original capital of Macedonia, known as Aegae.
Archaeologists took X-rays of the bones in the tomb and compared them with detailed descriptions of the Macedonian royal family, including height, weight, injuries and physical abnormalities, according to Live Science.
According to Live Science, Alexander’s father’s body was identified by a knee injury, which is “consistent with historical evidence that Philip II was lame.”
According to research, he was located in the so-called Tomb I, and not in Tomb I, although it was previously thought that he was in Tomb II.
The ruins of Vergina were first discovered in the 1970s, but debate continues over which royal family members are buried in each tomb.
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The remains of the ancient Parthenon in Athens, Greece. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakoulis/File)
Antonios Bartziokas, the study’s lead author, told Live Science that the study was “like an ancient tale of a fascinating detective.” Mr. Bartziokas is a professor of anthropology and paleoanthropology at Democritus University of Thrace in Komotini, Greece.
Researchers discovered Philip III Arrhidaeus, Alexander the Great’s half-brother and successor, in Tomb 2.
“His skeletal evidence and the pattern of his cremated bones were shown to be consistent with the circumstances of death of King Arrhidaeus and his wife,” Bartziokas said, according to Live Science. “Tomb I was a very small and poor tomb, while Tomb II was very large and wealthy. This is because Macedonia was in a state of bankruptcy when Alexander began his expeditions, and when he died Macedonia was in a very poor state.” It is connected with historical evidence that it was wealthy. This matches the tomb.” I belong to Philip II, and tomb II belongs to his son Arrhidaeus. ”
It is believed that Philip II was buried with his wife and baby.
A full moon rises in Greece. (AP Photo/Thanasis Stavrakis/File)
Bartziokas added: “This newborn was the only newborn in the Macedonian dynasty to die soon after birth. The female’s skeletal age was 18 years and was identified based on the epiphyseal line of the humerus.” Ta. [This number] matches the age of [his wife Queen] Cleopatra from ancient sources. ”
He explained that the remains in Tomb 2 also did not show damage to the eyes, as previously believed. Due to deterioration of the remains in Tomb I, it was not possible to clearly determine whether the eyes were damaged or not.
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“It is known from ancient sources that Philip II suffered an injury to his eye that caused him to go blind,” Bartsiokas said, according to Live Science. “I was surprised to find [the] Although no such eye lesions were present on the male skeleton of Tomb II, this was initially widely explained as the actual lesion identifying Philip II. In other words, this was a case of describing a morphological feature that did not exist. ”
Research revealed that Alexander IV was in Tomb III.
